Pipe bore cleaner apparatus



June 22, 1943.

H. R. CRANE 2,322,508

PIPE BORE CLEANER APPARATUS Filed June 2, 1942 k hperrfav; VM g K74726,-

Patented June 22, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PIPE BORE CLEANERAPPARATUS Hubert R. Crane, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application June 2, 1942, Serial No. 445,445

2 Claims. (Cl. 15-10406) This invention is apparatus for cleaning thebores of various installed conduits; as for example extensiveunderground water service systems.

There has been heretofore no simple, low-cost,

practical, highly effective and economical tool and apparatuscombination and method whereby to clean out and maintain in a freeflowing condition the bore of water systems (in particular) and it isvery common to have to resort to costly-labor digging and plumbingoperations to expose, remove, clean and re-install or re-place theconduit elements by operation upon relatively short sections of a givensystem. It is an object of the instant invention to provide means foreliminating all of the above objectionable factors and to provide anextremely simple and inexpensive tool and apparatus and installationlimbs for greatly facilitating the initial cleaning and thereafter themaintenance of the given system in a clean condition.

While the present disclosure resorts to the employment of some old andwell known parts and means these are here shown in a new and highlyuseful combination in this particular art, and the present advance inthis art further involves the accomplishment of the cleaning proc ess bya distinctive and new set of Steps concerning the manner in which agiven fluid, say water in a service system, is run in the installed, newcombination and the peculiar use of given implements.

The invention consist in certain advancements in this art as set forthin the ensuing disclosure and having, with the above, additional objectsand advantages as hereinafter developed and whose constructions,combinations and subcombinations and details of means, will be mademanifest in the following description of the herewith illustrativeembodiments; it being understood that modifications, variations andadaptations may be resorted to within the scope, spirit and principle ofthe invention as it is more directly claimed presently.

Figure l is a sectional, longitudinal elevation of a portion of a waterpipe system disclosing a new, installed double or duplex Y and manholetap set-up as in use by the initial bor cleaning set of the novel means.

Figure 2 is a view of the same set-up as arranged for and in use by thesecond or next cleaning step.

Figure 3 is a broken side elevation of a water and tool deflector andguide forming a removable element of the operating apparatus.

There is shown an old, installed or underground water main M having aconventional shut-01f gate valve VI suitably adjacent to a conventionalinstalled pipe line limb or Y with a relative access manhole and coverC. Suitably remote downstream from the valve VI is another shutoff valveV2 or other suitable device whereby the water may be stopped at will.

Water mains have lengths of many miles in relative supply systems and itis an object of this invention to provide for the safe, ready andeffective cleaning of as much as a mile section or more at oneoperation.

In carrying out the new combination there is introduced into the main asecond Y limb Y2 in quite close relation to the above mentioned Y at YI;the branches of the two Ys being at opposite angular directions, thefirst upstream or toward direction of water flow from the source feedingthe main and the second inclined downstream or in the direction of Waterflow. Each of the Y limbs has a short pipe section as 2 and 3 with bellmouths adapted to receive any suitable type of closure or plug P, andthese are accessible by way of manholes C thereat in the ground or othersurface according to the place of system installation.

Now assuming that it is desired to clean out 5000 feet of the main Mupstream from the valve VI this is closed and if there is not alreadyinstalled a Y limb YI then one is now installed and its plug P is settight to prevent discharge of Water when, later, the valve VI is opened.If and when the limb YI is in place the new limb Y2 is installed andpointed downstream and its mouth i let open. A suitable means which willboth substantially stop flow and will form a deflectin guide for anysuitable scraping tool, such as a flexible, backbone go-devil S, isinserted into the second limb Y2 to close its trunk bore 4 (which is anaxial continuation of the bore of the main M). Such means here consistsof a simple, semicylindrical shovel or scoop D fitting the Y bore andthe bottom of the bore 4 to close it and having a hook part D toremovably retain it in place at the crotch of the Y Y2.

Subsequent to closing the limb YI by its plug P the appropriate scraperS is pushed into the far upstream end of the portion of the main M; thevalve VI being, at the time, shut, and the guide or deflector D being inplace and the downstream Y Y2 being open so that water will be directedto the relative or second manhole.

The valve VI is now opened and the head of water will react on theinterposed scraper S and drive it toward the said valve with sufficientpower to scrape and clean the bore surface; the cuttings being conveyeddown to the opened Y limb Y2 by water which is allowed to escape pastthe scraper S. Since the deflecting guide and stop D closes the bore ofthe main thereat and since the upper Y limb Yl is closed by its plug Pfinally the scraper S is driven up to and up through and out of thesecond limb Y2. If this is assumed to be the first cleaning operation ofthis given section of the main it will be seen that after the duplex ordouble Y limb combination Yl and Y2 has been installed (at its firstcost), then, thereafter, the said section of the main can be oftencleaned at but only the cost of labor.

Having completed the upstream section of the main M as to the valve VIthis latter is again closed, the guide D is removed, a plug P is set inthe lower Y limb Y2, the plug P is dislodged from the limb Y! to openthis limb and the lower valve V2, which stood closed during theoperation of cleaning the first section of the main, is now opened.

The scraper S having now been discharged or pulled from the limb Y2 isinserted into the upper limb Yl, Fig. 2, and adjusted in the bore of themain M so that as the valve VI is now opened, water will catch theinterposed scraper S and drive it down toward the open valve V2 and thatsection of the main M leading to the valve V2 will be cleaned andscraped, the limb Yl having been again plugged as soon as the scraper Swas properly set in the junction with the main.

While the two limbs Yl and Y2 are arranged at opposite inclinations inthe main they are nevertheless duplex and constitute a double and areindeed duplicatesjust in reversed arrangement.

It is to be understood that the downstream valve V2 either may or maynot be used if it is in place in a system, and that the method may bepracticed even in the absence of such a valve since the scooping anddiverting guide D will effectively shunt the stream of water to the opendownstream Y limb and will cause the ejection of the scraping tool whenit comes against the guide.

A suitable type of scraper is shown in U. S. Letters Patent No.2,099,723.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for the cleaning and scraping of fluid conveying conduits,comprising in combination, a downstream effect Y limb in a givenconduit, an appropriate scraping tool for the bore of the conduit andwhich is propulsive by the bore fluid, and abore choking deviceconsisting of a short semicylindrical scoop of an external diameterapproximating that of the Y limb lateral to make an elbow extension ofthe cylindrical bore thereof at the conduit axis forming a guide wherebyto direct the said tool into the outlet of the said limb, while the toolis fluid driven; the said choke being adapted to be telescoped down thesaid limb into effective position at the conduit bore While the limb isin situ.

2. In apparatus of the class described for choking ofi" a conduit at a Ylimb in a sunken system; a scooping guide of semicylindricalcross-section to form a continuation of the Y lateral branch bore and;designed and constructed of a size and shape whereby to be telescopedinto and from the head of the limb in situ while the head of the limb isuncovered and whereby to eliminate removal of the limb or opening of themain conduit for placement of the guide or its removal and the guidehaving a holding lug on its bottom surface at a slight distance backfrom the upper end of the guide for interlocking against a crotch edgeof the said limb.

I-IUBERT R. CRANE.

